Fire breaks out near swimming track

A fire spread across rolls of fencing and other materials that were located near the swimming track in the capital city Male’, Saturday night.

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) stated that officers worked on extinguishing the blaze behind the tennis courts neighbouring Male’ Sports Complex (Ekuveni).

Items affected between the tennis court and running track included numerous turf and fence rolls, as well as equipment used to construct football pitches. In addition, cargo containers filled with sports equipment nearby were also reported to be impacted.

Authorities did not reveal the extent of damage caused to the materials in the blaze, as the case is currently under investigation.

However, local media Mihaaru reported that most of the assets on the site were recovered.

"A turf roll caught fire. It is pretty expensive. The blaze was controlled and put out before the rest caught fire", an anonymous source told Mihaaru.

The materials in the area were intended to develop turf fields in various islands, under free aid from the Chinese government.

Prior to the fire, disputes between Football Association of Maldives (FAM) and Ministry of Youth and sports about the ownership of the equipment were reported on by various media. Moreover, reports of missing items, out of the materials supplied by China, have surfaced as well.

Of late, the capital has experienced a growing crime trend in arson-related cases. Just last Wednesday, six motorcycles were set on fire in Male’ outside Ihsaan Fihaara, a store in Maafannu ward.